February 2011
The stretch from Mexico City south to Oaxaca included some seriously hilly stretches. The heat bore down and slowed us to a crawl on some days. But those rough days of riding came with with some rewarding views!
© 2009-
From the home base provided by our gracious hosts in La Venta we took a side trip to the Mayan ruins at Palenque. A day of bussing carried us into the hills of Northern Chiapas.
It was raining when we arrived but thankfully the weather held for our day at the ancient city. We spent several hours exploring these huge structures that have solidly stood the test of time in the face of a wet jungle atmosphere.
Oaxaca City was a great place to spend a few rest days and even had a few surprises for us. Namely the ability to purchase crickets and mealworms at the local market. This didn’t overshadow the savory mole and bittersweet chocolate that the region is known for.
Heading south we had another stretch of hills on our way to the coast. They were dotted with agave plants and mezcal distilleries. On the coast we found ourselves facing a fifty mile an hour crosswind at La Venta. It threatened to sweep us off the road!